Toddler abduction suspect reportedly sighted in Kamloops, B.C.

The convicted sex offender suspected of abducting a three-year-old B.C. toddler may have been sighted in Kamloops as the search for the boy reaches its third day.

B.C. RCMP reportedly received a tip that 46-year-old Randall Peter Hopley was sighted on Thursday night in Kamloops, about 720 kilometres west of Sparwood, B.C. Hopley is suspected of abducting Kienan Hebert, a small red-haired boy who went missing from his home in Sparwood onWednesday.

Kamloops RCMP on Friday said they had “nothing to give out right now,” regarding the reported sighting of Hopley.

Hopley was previously accused of attempting to snatch a 10-year-old boy from his home during a break and enter. He was deemed likely to commit more crimes after his release from prison.

An Amber Alert for the boy was extended for 24 hours on Thursday. A similar alert still had not been issued in Alberta as of Thursday evening, but the search for the boy and his possible abductor stretched in that province, as well as the U.S. state of Washington.

When he was first discovered missing, Kienan, an occasional sleepwalker, was thought to have wandered from his bed in the night.

But as those hopes dwindled, police began to scan the roads for Hopley and his brown 1987 Toyota Camry with the B.C. licence plate 098 RAL.

Hopley, who was once described by his lawyer as “borderline retarded,” has a long list of convictions, including break-and-enter and a 1985 sexual assault.

When Hopley was released from prison on a sexual-assault conviction, a psychiatrist told the National Parole Board that the man — then 21 — was likely to reoffend.